The main plot of Far from the Madding Crowd grows out of
characters, and the sub-plot grows out of natural situations.
Bathsheba Everdene is a charming and beautiful woman who,
prompted by her vanity and pride, rejects the proposal of marriage
offered by Gabriel Oak, for she thinks she is better than he. Oak,
ironically, proves to be indispensable to her through the thick and
the thin of her life. Nonetheless, the immature Bathsheba
overlooks the worthy Oak and becomes infatuated with Sergeant
Troy, a philanderer. She marries him, although he is already
involved with Fanny. By the time of her marriage, Bathsheba has
already set the tragic wheels of fate in motion by her foolish
encouragement of Farmer Boldwood. When he ignores her, she
sends him a valentine to attract his attention. He takes seriously the
seal, "marry me," that she adds to the card. His life becomes an
obsessive pursuit of this woman he loves.

Bathsheba's life is ruined by her marriage to Troy. She resents his
selfish ways, his gambling, and his refusal to work on the farm.
When Bathsheba learns about his affair with Fanny, it is too late.
The girl and her child are already dead, and Troy deserts her.
When Bathsheba is ready to accept her mistake in encouraging
Boldwood and marry him out of pity and duty, Troy dramatically
reappears on the scene. Appropriately, the deranged Boldwood,
who is still obsessed with Bathsheba, shoots him. The death of
Troy and the incarceration of Boldwood allow Bathsheba and
Gabriel to finally acknowledge their love for one another. At the
end of the book, they marry quietly, and the villagers rejoice.

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The plot of the novel actually centers on the fortunes and
misfortunes of Gabriel Oak, the protagonist of the novel. In the
beginning, he is on his way to becoming a prosperous sheep
farmer. He suffers financial reverses when his sheep fall to their
deaths. He loses his farm and goes to work for Bathsheba, first as a
shepherd and then as her bailiff. He devotes his life to pleasing the
mistress of the farm, for he loves her deeply. By means of hard and
dedicated labor, Gabriel regains his chance at prosperity, although
he does not prosper on a personal level with Bathsheba.
Nonetheless, he supports her through her adventures with Sergeant
Troy and Farmer Boldwood. In the end, due to his goodness and
faithfulness, he wins her as his wife.

The rustics provide comic relief throughout the plot. They act as
the chorus by providing comments on important happenings in the
novels. Above all, they provide us with comedy of character,
comedy of situation, and verbal humor, all of which gives some
relief to the building tension in the novel. They also contribute
significantly to the pastoral atmosphere of the play.